SEATTLE - The UC Irvine women's basketball team led for over 27 minutes, but was unable to hold off San Francisco in a tough 68-61 loss in the Husky Classic finale Saturday afternoon at Alaska Airlines Arena.
 
"We had our opportunities, but we started jogging back and not getting stops," UCI head coach Tamara Inoue said. "I know we get frustrated when our shots don't go in, but that is part of the game and we have to keep playing through it."
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Senior Lauren Saiki led the Anteaters with 18 points, nine assists, three rebounds and two steals. Saiki's nine dimes tied her season high.
 
Junior Alexus Seaton finished with 12 points, four boards and three assists, while classmate Dani Guglielmo chipped in nine points.
 
Lucie Hoskova paced USF with a game-high 28 points. Leilah Vigil added a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
 
The 'Eaters shot 46% from the field, compared to 42% for the Dons, but their downfall came on the boards where they lost the battle, 45-23. San Francisco took advantage of its 16 offensive rebounds, outscoring UCI, 21-2, in second-chance points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: After San Francisco (7-5) opened the scoring at the 8:36 mark, UC Irvine went on a 9-0 run, capped by a Guglielmo 3-pointer, to pull ahead by seven. The Dons would close the gap to one, but the Anteaters refused to relinquish the lead, holding a 16-13 edge at the end of the first quarter.
 
The 'Eaters scored the first four points of the second period with a Melodie Kapinga layup and a Saiki jumper. They kept that momentum, continuing on a 9-2 spurt to go on top 25-15 following a three from freshman Jayde Cadee with 6:15 remaining. USF was able to cut into the lead as UCI owned a 30-26 cushion at the half.
 
UC Irvine (3-9) went up 37-30 on a Saiki jumper, but San Francisco proceeded to go on a 9-2 run to knot the score at 39-39 with 2:42 to play. The Anteaters responded with a couple layups from Saiki and Seaton to go back on top by four, and carried a 46-43 lead into the final frame.
 
In the fourth quarter, the Dons took their first lead since the opening minutes at 50-48 with 8:25 on the clock. They maintained control, going up by as many as eight en route to the 68-61 victory.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine concludes its five-game road stretch with a trip to Dallas, Texas, next weekend. The Anteaters will go up against SMU at 2 p.m. (CT)/12 p.m. (PT) on Sunday, Dec. 29.
 
NOTES
• Lauren Saiki has had 5+ assists in all but one game this year.
• She ranks sixth in school history with 312 career assists and is just nine behind Kristen Green in fifth (321).
• Alexus Seaton registered her fourth consecutive double-figure scoring game.
• The Anteaters shot over 40% for the first time since Nov. 29.